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22 February 2019

Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 sources worldwide. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.

Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly is not only our current No1 but also the all-time highest rated album

ADM 2015: The 1st quarter report

We're three months into 2015 so it's time for our first look back at the most critically-acclaimed music so far this year

If the remaining three-quarters of this year continues the
trajectory set in the first quarter, then 2015 is going to go down
as a musically epochal 12 months.

Bear in mind that we were ushered into the new year by
D'Angelo And The Vanguard's Black Messiah which
catapulted ADM's long-standing all-time highest-rated album,
Frank Ocean's Channel Orange, on its release in
the dying days of 2014.

That set a very high bar, but not high enough to stop
Kendrick Lamar's 3rd album from superseding it at
the summit of the all-time rankings.

Just prior to Lamar's ecstatically-received release, the comeback
album from Washington punks Sleater-Kinney
cemented its position in the all-time top 10 while Father
John Misty's 2nd solo outing is just a few places below
and destined to remain among the most acclaimed albums in the folk
rock sphere for a good while.

It doesn't end there. Sufjan Stevens's
cathartically autobiographical ode to his deceased mother and
stepfather, the just-released Carrie & Lowell, is currently our
all-time No.5. It may yet edge higher still if there are a couple
of late 10/10 ratings to come.

Phew. And still to come are much-anticipated albums courtesy
of Grimes, Frank Ocean,
Raekwon and Deafheaven to mention
but a handful. In fact, the procession of exalted LP releases could
be very swiftly extended: Mercury Prize winners Young
Fathers will be figuring in the Current Releases chart
very soon.

As we were advised by none other than Justin Bieber, hold tight
…

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9.23

Kendrick Lamar

To Pimp A Butterfly

"One day, To Pimp A Butterfly could be regarded a cultural and
historical document worthy of academic discussion. It most
certainly should be"
Pretty Much Amazing